Trick of the Golden Witch
by RickyRiddle
Summary: After the death of her aunt, Ange decided to go on a quest to find out the truth about the Rokkenjima Massacre. She ended up asking the help of a certain detective.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Been a while I haven't been in the When They Cry fandom, but I'm back and I finally decided to write some of my ideas! So here's an Umineko fic based on my theory regarding the Trick Ending. Spoiler for the end of Umineko. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ushiromiya Ange remained still in front of the detective agency. Not that she was hesitating to enter or anything, she was simply lost in her thought. Her aunt Eva recently passed away, but she wasn't sad about it. She always hated her ever since she became her legal guardian, and it was mutual. Ange always felt like Eva was keeping the truth from her, about what truly happened in the Rokkenjima island. She was suspecting her of being the culprit behind the tragedy that took away her family, but she still needed concrete proof. Ange was desperate to know the truth, and quite frankly, ready to try anything. Now that Eva was dead, she was free, the chain keeping her from finding out the truth had been broken, and she was ready to investigate this mystery.

"What are we waiting for, oujo?"

Ange sighed. Hearing him just reminded her that she was stuck with him. Amakusa Juuzo, her bodyguard. Hired by Okonogi to protect her. Quite frankly, she would do perfectly fine without him, but he didn't seem like he had any intention to leave. Well, at least he wasn't preventing her from looking for the truth, so his presence was bearable. At least it gave her someone to talk to.

"Nothing, let's go," Ange said as she stepped inside the agency, followed by Amakusa.

The agency was rather small but well decorated. They walked in a small corridor until they reached a door, which Ange knocked at. After a few seconds of waiting, someone opened the door. It was a middle-aged woman with short dark blue hair barely reaching her jaw, lighter blue eyes and wearing a rather professional outfit. She smiled politely at Ange.

"Oh, you must be Ushiromiya Ange-san. Please come on in."

Ange nodded and stepped inside the office, followed by Amakusa. Inside was a desk, a couch with an armchair in front, with in between a coffee table. The blue-haired woman put two cups on the table and poured tea in it, before sitting on the armchair.

"Please take a seat, Ange-san."

"I suppose I'm not invited," Amakusa said.

"No. Go wait in the corner and stay quiet," Ange ordered him.

"Roger, oujo."

Her bodyguard did as she told him and she sat on the couch. The woman took a sip of her tea, smiling in a serene way. Ange looked at her tea, with no intention of actually touching it.

"You know, I always wanted to contact you, but your aunt never let me. Not that I'm happy she died, but at least I'm free to talk to you know."

"You can be happy. She was a bitch," Ange replied bluntly.

"Ouch, I see you two didn't have quite the aunt-niece loving relationship. Well then, I'll be frank. Her death was surely in my best interest."

Despite her cruel words, the woman was still smiling softly. Ange felt that despite her rather elegant appearance, this woman was much sinister than she looked like.

"Let me introduce myself again. I'm Furudo Erika, nice to meet you."

Ange remained quiet. After her aunt's death, she looked for the second survivor of the Rokkenjima Mass Murder Incident, Furudo Erika. Totally unrelated to the Ushiromiya family, according to what she read she would have ended up on the island after a boat accident. But Ange knew that there was more to this. So she contacted Erika and organized a meeting between the two of them. Since she was a detective, it seemed that she might be even more useful to her investigation.

"Why did you want to contact me?" Ange asked.

"Well, since you were one of the only Ushiromiya left, I wanted to talk with you, and hopefully learn more about your family. But your aunt never let me, she was quite protective of you."

"Bullshit. Eva oba-san never loved me, she didn't care about me."

"If you say so. Anyway, I simply investigated on my own to find the truth, but I never had any conclusive result. I kind of give up, but when you called me, it made me want to continue my investigation."

"What a coincidence, I also want to investigate the Rokkenjima Incident. I want to know the truth, and I was hoping you could help me."

"Oh my, so here's why you called me. I feel like we'll get along just fine. Both looking for the truth-"

"Tell me what happened on the island."

Erika remained quiet for a moment, before taking a sip of her tea and putting it back on the table.

"You're not sugarcoating it, I like that. Well, it's not like I hide what happened to me on the island. I fell from a pleasure boat near Rokkenjima and in some miracle, I survived and arrived on the island. The Ushiromiya family welcomed me as their guest, and I spent a lot of time with the younger members of the family, including your brother Battler-san."

"No need to tell me superficial details, come to the point. I want to know about the murder."

Erika chuckled.

"Very well then. It all started during dinner, Maria-san brought back a letter that she claimed was from a witch named Beatrice. It was a riddle, the Witch Epitaph, to find Kinzo-san's gold. Whoever would be the first one to solve the epitaph's riddle would inherit the gold and become the new head of the Ushiromiya family. The adults asked the kids to leave so they can talk about this mysterious letter alone, and even though I wanted to be part of it I was forced to stay with the cousins," Erika started to explain. "Then the cousins were called by Rudolf-san apparently on the behalf of Kinzo-san. Apparently he judged all his children to be unfit to be his successor and wanted to test his grandchildren instead to choose his heir. Jessica-san was asked to go to the parlour and George-san in front of the chapel. When those two left, I stayed with Battler-san and Maria-san in the cousin room."

Ange took the time to think about it. Her father called Jessica and George on the behalf of Kinzo? Somehow, that sounded fishy. Almost like a trap.

"Later, Battler got called at the chapel and I remained alone with Maria-san," Erika continued. "But my instinct told me something was odd. I knew there was something wrong. This epitaph was highly suspicious to me. So I decided to leave the cousin room and go investigate on my own. I went to the parlour and discovered… Jessica-san's corpse."

"Jessica's… corpse… how did she die?" Ange asked.

"Are you sure you want to know? It was pretty brutal-"

"Tell me. I'm here to know the truth after all."

"Very well. Her face had been smashed beyond recognition. I only knew it was her because of the clothes and the hair," Erika revealed.

Ange felt a little bit nauseous. Such an awful way to die. Whoever the culprit was, she would never forgive them.

"What happened next?" Ange asked.

"Well, I realized that there was a murderer on the island, so my detective senses got quite stirred. I decided to go see the chapel and on my way, I found Rudolf-san's corpse. He looked like he was shot twice, once in the chest and the second time in the head. I also found George-san's corpse in the forest near the chapel, similar injuries as Rudolf-san. I decided to go back to the cousin room and on my way found the corpse of most servants, and later Maria-san with her throat slit in her bed. I left once again, looking for any survivors, and found Kyrie-san's corpse in the garden, a bullet in her throat. The only people I haven't seen their corpse were Battler-san, Shanon-san, Kanon-san and obviously, Eva-san."

Ange felt sick. To learn how her family died, especially her parents, was truly awful. But she repressed those feelings, she had to remain strong, for the sake of the truth.

"Then, how did you escape? According to what I read, you found a boat and left the island before it exploded. How did you find that boat? I don't recall reading about that," Ange insisted.

Erika became quiet for a moment as if she was hesitating to continue.

"Well, that's when things become really weird. I didn't tell anyone about this because I didn't want people to think I was crazy. But since you are an Ushiromiya, I suppose you have a right to know," Erika started to say.

Ange became tense. Whatever Erika was about to tell her, it must be shocking. But she was ready to face anything, she wasn't scared of the truth. Whatever it was, she would accept it.

"I saw… the Golden Witch, Beatrice," Erika revealed.

Ange became speechless when she heard that. Beatrice… the woman on the portrait? She remembered talking about her with Maria as a child, when they played witches together. Beatrice was the witch Maria admired and respected. But she wasn't real, right? Just a child's delusion, so how… ?

"You saw… Beatrice… ?" Ange wanted to confirm.

"Yes, I did. She's actually the one who saved me."

"But… how? What happened!?" Ange demanded, more and more flustered.

"She brought me to an underground tunnel and we reached a boat. She told me that since I wasn't linked to this family, I didn't deserve to die. Obviously I asked her for an explanation, and then, her expression changed. She grinned in such a malevolent way and laughed madly, saying that she was the one who killed everyone because the Ushiromiya owed her. She took back everything that belonged to Kinzo, and that I simply wasn't part of that."

Ange remained quiet, clenching her fists in anger.

"Are you telling me… that my family has been killed by a witch?! That magic is real!? Impossible! I won't believe such foolishery, this is insane, it can't be the truth!" Ange shouted.

Most to Ange's surprise, Erika's smile turned into a sinister grin as she suddenly burst into an almost demonic, before she gazed at Ange with such arrogance.

"Of course not! Do you think I'm dumb enough to believe in magic? Obviously she wasn't a real witch, only a human wearing a fancy costume and a wig! But this human pretending to be the witch Beatrice may be the culprit we are looking for, the one behind the Rokkenjima Incident," Erika said.

Still shocked by Erika's sudden outburst, Ange remained quiet for a moment, before feeling relieved. She was worried that Erika actually believed in magic for an instant.

"Who is this culprit? Who was this person pretending to be Beatrice?" Ange asked.

"I don't know. Either one of the 17 people on the island, or some mysterious 18th person. My bet would be either a servant or an Ushiromiya."

"It must be Eva oba-san! She disguised herself as Beatrice and killed everyone!"

"Hm, I wonder. I'm still not sure if this Beatrice is really the culprit. After all, she saved my life. I can't forget this panicked expression she had on her face when I first met her, and that bloody shoulder… no, she wasn't the culprit. She had been attacked. Well, according to the Epitaph she may have wanted to murder everyone, but someone might have beat her to that. Or the adults solve the riddle before the deadline and one of them decided to kill everyone for the gold. Simply by the existence of Beatrice's wound, this level of reasoning is possible for Furudo Erika! What do you think, everyone?"

Ange remained skeptical. So this Beatrice, whoever she truly is, wouldn't be the culprit but would have intended to kill everyone for an unknown reason. But Ange didn't care with she wanted to, she was only interested in the real culprit, the one that stole her family away from her.

"So Beatrice is pointless. No need to find who she is, we should focus on the actual culprit," Ange said.

"Well, the fact Rudolf-san called us for some kind of test and before going there were killed is highly suspicious," Erika said.

"No, my father can't be the culprit! After all, he was killed too. You said he called on my grandfather's behalf? Then maybe it's him, who tricked my father and orchestrated the murder of his family," Ange theorized.

"That's an interesting theory, I did think of it too."

"Is there anything else I don't know about the incident?"

"No, I told you everything I know."

"How much will it cost?"

"Eh?"

"You're a detective after all, you can't have told me all of that information freely. How much will it cost me?"

"Ah! Don't worry about that, for you it will be free. After all, I did want to discuss with you."

"Fine. Well then, if you have nothing more to tell me, I'll leave. Thank you for your time."

Ange rose up, ready to go, but before she could leave, Erika suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait! I'm not done with you," Erika said.

"But I am."

"Let me finish! What if we work together to uncover the Rokkenjima mystery and discover the truth?"

Ange thought about it. Somehow, she wanted to do this alone. It was her family, it felt personal. But, Erika was a survivor of the Rokkenjima Incident, she was there when her family was murdered, and in addition, she was a detective. Her help could be precious.

"Fine, let's team up," Ange agreed.

"Wonderful! How about you work with me at my agency? Helping me solve my cases, it would sharpen your skills. And we could work together to solve the Rokkenjima Incident."

Ange hesitated. Working for Erika didn't seem that much pleasant, but it was true that it could help her develop better deduction skills, which could be useful to find the culprit who killed her family.

"Okay, I'll work with you. But it better not be a waste of time," Ange replied.

"Don't worry, it won't. Glad that we'll now work together, my dear new assistant."

Ange sighed. This alliance was the start of her quest. The quest of the truth regarding the Rokkenjima Incident and the murder of her family. And she was determined to succeed, no matter what.

* * *

Suddenly, a truly devilish smile appeared on Erika's face. Under Ange's expression of disbelief, Erika started to shrink, her hair grew long and was now tied up in twintails, and her clothes changed for a fancy white and pink dress. Her smile softened as she grabbed her dress to lift it a little and bowed elegantly.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Furudo Erika, the detective, as well as a Witch of Truth."

Ange remained shocked by what she witnessed. A middle-aged woman just turned into a teenager in front of her eyes! And now she was calling herself… a witch? She looked around and discovered that Amakusa had disappeared.

"It can't be true… magic can't be real, you can't be a witch, you said it yourself that they don't exist!" Ange exclaimed.

"Magic and witches do in fact not exist, in your world. But this isn't your world anymore. Welcome to the Meta-World, Ange-san."

"I… I don't understand…"

"It's fine if you don't. Anyway, whether I truly am a witch or not doesn't matter. It's Beatrice's status as a witch we need to disprove."

Ange reminded quiet for a moment, still shocked by what she saw, but eventually come back to her sense and regained her composure.

"No. We need to discover who the culprit is. If Beatrice isn't the culprit, then there's no point in finding out her true identity," Ange said.

"But you can't know for sure that she isn't the culprit. Wouldn't it be better to discover who she is in case she is the culprit?"

"But didn't you say yourself that you didn't think she was the culprit?"

"The Erika of this world did, but I'm not her. I'm the Erika from another world. But I do know everything about this world, but it doesn't mean I agree with everything my human self said."

"Right… well then, are you going to help me find the truth?"

"That's what I'm here for! I'll be your witch guardian, and I'll help you find out the truth and destroy that illusion of the Golden Witch. Surely you know about those message bottles? Even if the books weren't written in this world, those messages still exist here, as well as all the forgeries made."

"You mean those messages signed by Maria onee-chan? Yeah, I know about them. Different scenarios about what happened on the island. A lot of people become fans of those theories and started writing their own, I suppose that it was your mean by forgeries."

"Creating a perfect catbox for the Rokkenjima Incident. But together, we'll open that catbox and reveal the truth. Let's put an end to those theories and destroy that illusion once and for all! Join me on that quest and be my assistant, Ange-san, fellow Witch of Truth."

Erika held out her hand, smiling. Ange hesitated. This just sounded all so crazy. But she did want to know the truth, and she hated all those forgeries. Her family's death shouldn't be a show or something to theorize about, she wanted them to finally rest in peace, and the only way for that was to reveal the truth.

Ange made her choice. With a serious gaze, she grabbed Erika's hand, who immediately grinned in a way only a witch could.

"Good. Very Good."

* * *

**A world where Erika survived and become a private detective. My interpretation of the Trick Ending.**

**This story might stay as a one-shot, but I do have a full plot in mind. So if you're interested let me now, fav or follow or leave a review. Thanks for reading and maybe seeya next time, bye!**

**Oh, before I leave. I made a When They Cry discord server, to talk about Higurashi, Umineko, Ciconia and other 07th Expansion series. If you wanna join add me on discord: RickyOtaku#5402**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! I decided to continue this story! Here's chapter 2, have a good reading ^^**

* * *

What was this place? Ange couldn't remember how she ended up here. It looked like… a tea house? She was sitting on a couch, with in front of her was a coffee table with what appeared to be a cup of tea. Ange's mind felt dizzy and everything felt blurry around her. Almost like it was a dream…

"Ange-san? Ange-san?"

A soft voice was calling for her. Ange's vision suddenly became clear and she could see. She turned her head to see who was calling her and was surprised to discover Erika, who was smiling gently at her. She remained confused about why this Erika looked like a teenager in a fancy dress instead of the professional adult she met, before she remembered what happened.

She had accepted to team up with a witch to discover the truth behind the Rokkenjima Massacre.

"Furudo…" Ange mumbled.

"Please, just call me Erika."

"What is this place? Where did you bring me?"

"No need to be worried, I simply brought you to my master."

"Your master… ?"

Ange saw some movement on the table. She turned her head and discovered a black cat on the table. Before Ange could say anything, the cat's form suddenly changed, taking a humanoid shape. A short girl with long blue hair and empty purple eyes was now standing on the table, dressed in a dark dress and with a cat tail. She was looking at Ange with an emotionless expression before she finally got down the table.

"Master!" Erika exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I see that you brought your new piece, Erika," the cat-girl said.

"Yes! I'll be worthy of your expectation, you can count on me!"

"Hm, you better be. You know I don't accept failure," her master replied with some ice in her voice.

Ange noticed a cold sweat dripping from Erika's forehead.

"Who are you?" Ange asked.

"Right, you never met me. Let me introduce myself then. I'm Bernkastel, the Witch of Miracles."

Bernkastel… what a strange name. So she was Erika's master. Not that Ange really cared about this, she had other stuff in mind.

"Are you going to tell me the truth behind the Rokkenjima Massacre?" Ange asked bluntly.

"No matter the kakera, you never change, Ange," Bernkastel replied with a soft smirk. "This is something you'll have to find yourself. I lend you my own piece Erika to help you on this quest, she'll be your witch guardian."

"And as your witch guardian I recognize you, Ushiromiya Ange, as a Witch of Truth," Erika declared.

Suddenly, Ange's clothes started to shine. When the light disappeared, she noticed that she was now wearing a goth blue dress with gold at the edge and a hat. Was that supposed to be a witch outfit? Was she truly a witch now? How ridiculous… but if playing witches was what allowed her to discover the truth, then so be it.

"I, Ushiromiya Ange, Witch of Truth, swear that I'll find out the truth behind the Rokkenjima Massacre!"

For a split-second, Bernkastel grinned, before she was back at being stoic.

"Perfect. This time, I'll simply be an observer. I leave it to you, Erika. Don't disappoint me," Bernkastel said.

"Don't worry master, I won't disappoint you! Is Lady Lambdadelta going to join us?"

Lambdadelta… another strange name.

"I prefer to avoid getting her involved. She's too attached to those people, she might do like last time and side with them. Let's keep the fun just between us, okay?" Bernkastel replied.

Erika looked delighted by this answer. She then rose up, while grabbing Ange's arm.

"Then let's go, Ange-san!"

"Huh? Go where?" Ange asked.

Erika's expression immediately became twisted, with a sinister smile on her lips.

"To see your family. We're going to Rokkenjima!"

* * *

"Ange-san? Ange-san?"

Ange opened her eyes. She had spaced out for a moment. She looked around and saw Erika, the adult one, sitting at her desk in her office.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming," Ange replied.

"It's okay. Thinking about witches perhaps?"

"... we could say that."

Erika was smiling, but there was some bitterness in her eyes.

"Furudo-san, do you dislike witches?" Ange asked.

"Please, just call me Erika… Hm, well I can't really dislike something that isn't real. You know, I used to play witches with the older neighbourhood girls when I was a child."

"Oh, really? It's hard to imagine you pretending to be a witch… To be frank, I used to that too, with my cousin Maria. But I eventually grew bored with it and stopped."

"Same here… I suppose we could say we're both ex-witches hehe," Erika said with nostalgia in her eyes that turned into bitterness. "Those girls, they were good with their magic tricks, I used to think it was truly magic… until I saw through their lies. They challenged me to find their secret, and for weeks I tried to understand how they could do that until I finally uncovered their tricks. Now that I knew magic was only an illusion, I had no interest in being a witch anymore. So I decided to play detective instead and, well, this is where I am now."

Ange felt like this event left some scar in Erika's heart as if her innocence had been cracked. To believe in magic and discover that it was nothing more than tricks and illusions must have been painful. Just like when a child discovered that Santa Claus wasn't real.

Ange noticed the paperwork on Erika's desk.

"What are you working one?" Ange asked.

"Oh, just a boring case. An unfaithful husband and a woman who wants me to prove it. The usual," Erika said with scorn in her smile.

"Pathetic. If you don't love your wife anymore, just leave, don't cheat on her."

"The woman is pathetic too. That's what you get for believing in love. Any woman who believes a man who tells them he loves her is stupid. Men are liars and women are gullible. Human truly is a pathetic species huh… Oh well, at least I can gain from those fools."

Erika seemed to be a woman who had lost hope in humanity. Ange felt like she was talking by experience. Did she have someone being unfaithful to her? Could it be what totally broke her innocence? Ange didn't dare to ask, she didn't want to pry too much on Erika's past. But there was one question she was wondering and was willing to ask.

"Erika… do you enjoy being a detective?"

Erika seemed taken by surprise by this sudden question, but smile nonetheless.

"I do. There's nothing more rewarding and fun than exposing people's secrets and show them how smarter I am to them. You could say I'm an intellectual rapist, and proud to be. Whatever people are hiding, I'll uncover it. I'll always expose the truth and enjoy to see their pitiful expression as I reveal their most sacred secrets to everyone."

What a nasty woman. In other words, she just wanted to uncover mysteries to prove her superiority, to put down others and satisfy her lust. A true intellectual rapist… Ange wondered what was the appeal in stepping on others like that and torment them. Erika's desire to know the truth was twisted, unlike her. Her intention was pure, she simply wanted to know the truth so her family can finally rest in peace.

Erika rose up and put a brown trenchcoat, totally stereotypical of a detective, and grinned with excitement.

"Let's go Ange-san, we have an unfaithful husband to catch!"

Ange sighed. That didn't seem in the least interesting. But who knows, maybe it will be rewarding in a way and help her find out the truth about the Rokkenjima Massacre. Without much enthusiasm, Ange followed Erika, wondering when they will investigate her case.

* * *

Ange was amazed by what she was witnessing. Inside of a boat, there were floating in somewhere that looked like space, but with strange blue crystals floating all around them.

"Beautiful, isn't?" Erika said.

Ange turned to see her witch guardian, who was now wearing a pirate hat.

"What is this place?" Ange asked.

"The Sea of Fragments," Erika replied. "More specifically, Beatrice's Catbox."

"Beatrice… catbox?"

"Those kakera all represent possibilities for the 4 and 5 October of 1986. As long as the truth isn't revealed, all those fragments continue to exist inside the catbox. But we are going to uncover the truth and opened this catbox, and expose the true culprit to everyone. All those kakera are useless, only the truth mattered."

Ange agreed. She had no interest in all those possibilities. She just wanted to know the truth and expose the culprit who stole away her dead family. She wanted everyone to know the truth so the culprit may never rest in peace, tainting their name forever.

"Where are we going? Are you going to show me the fragment that represents the truth?" Ange asked.

"Unfortunately, the witch cast a spell on it to seal it, only the Lord of the Golden Land can see it. So we'll have to fight them to know the truth," Erika explained.

"Lord of the Golden Land? Who's that? What's the Golden Land?"

"An imaginary place kept alive thanks to the catbox. Inhabited by nothing more than illusions and ghosts from the past. As long as this place exists, your family will never rest in peace. It's up to you to find out the truth and annihilate the Golden Land, so the soul of your relatives may finally be free."

Ange clenched her fist with anger. So her family was trapped in some imaginary land by the witch. She was determined to defeat her and find out the truth so her family may finally rest. She won't let that witch desecrated her loved ones any longer, she'll allow them to die properly and finally mourn them.

Among all the kakera, Ange noticed one that was particular, it glowed with a golden aura.

"Is that…?"

"Yes, it's the Golden Land," Erika said with some resentment in her voice.

The golden kakera was now right in front of Ange, who stretched an arm to touch it.

"Don't forget, they may look like your family, but they are nothing more than illusions. Have no mercy on them," Erika said.

"I won't. My family is dead, those people are just ghost who need to rest in peace," Ange replied with conviction.

Erika smiled with satisfaction and, with Ange, touched the golden fragment. Suddenly, the golden radiance engulfed the entire boat in gold light, swallowing the two Witches of Truth, sending them straight to the Golden Land.

* * *

**Short chapter, the real action will start next chapter! Seeya next time! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Hello there! Before you read that chapter, here's the chart for the different truths:

**Red Truth**

_Blue Truth_

_**Golden Truth**_

Purple Truth

Thoughts are also written in italic but it should be easy to see the difference between thoughts and Blue Truth.

**Warning: graphic violence and death**

* * *

When the blinding light disappeared, Ange was welcomed by a light blue sky and a bright sun. She then looked down to discover that the boat was now floating on water. Ange tried to look around but all she could see was water with no land around.

"Where are we? Where's the Golden Land?" Ange asked.

"This ocean as no limit, no matter of much you row, you'll never find land… except the Golden Land. Here, take a look," Erika said as she handed a field-glass to Ange.

Ange took it and looked where her witch guardian was pointing. She saw something far away, it looked like… an island. It was with shock that Ange recognized it.

"But that's… Rokkenjima!?" she exclaimed.

"The Rokkenjima of 1986, October 4 and 5 to be more precise," Erika said. "This is the Golden Land where time is frozen and those illusions and ghosts are kept alive thanks to the catbox. Those who live there are nothing more than pieces that had lost their purpose, they are no longer useful."

"This is why I'll expose the truth. I won't let my family be pieces in that witch game anymore, I'll free them and let them rest in peace," Ange said with determination.

Ange put the field-glass away, feeling a little bit conflicted. She was determined to expose the truth, but she didn't know how she would feel if she saw her family again, even if they were nothing more than illusions. She was worried that her determination may waver.

"Ah, I need to teach you how to use the Blue Truth," Erika suddenly said.

"The blue… what?"

"This," Erika started, "_your name is Ushiromiya Ange and you are 18 years old._"

"Whoa… what's that? Why are you talking in blue? How is that even possible?"

"This is the truth that both humans and witches can use. Well, it's not always true, Blue Assumption would have been a better name. You can use the blue to say your theory and what you believe to be true, as a way to fight back against witches," Erika explained.

"Ah, I see, let me try… _Your name is Furudo Erika and you are a detective, you are_… uh… how old are you?"

"Hehe, I'm a witch, my age is irrelevant. Now, I'll show you how to use the Blue Truth to fight," Erika said as she opened her hand, blue light appearing in her palm, "_your family died in 1986 October 4 and 5, you're the last Ushiromiya still alive!_"

This statement hurt to hear. The blue light turned into some kind of blade made of blue energy that Erika was holding in her hand.

"This is a Blue Wedge. You can use it to attack your enemies and strike them with your truth," Erika said before she made the wedge disappeared.

"I understand… _my family was killed by Eva oba-san!_" Ange declared as she made a blue wedge appeared in her hand. "This will be my weapon to fight the witch."

"I see that you already have your theory planned, very good. You need to be careful of the Red Truth, the truth used by witches. This one is the absolute truth, but can be used in a deceitful way."

"I see… the witch is playing dirty, using such a strong weapon. But as long as I have the blue, I won't fail. I'll expose her no matter what and shatter her illusions!" Ange declared.

"That's the spirit! Now let's speed up and murder some ghosts, shall we?" Erika said with an awful grin.

The boat continued its way until it reached the island, Ange feeling her heart beating more and more fast. The boat accosted on the dock and both witches of truth got out from the ship and went on the beach. Ange couldn't help but feel nostalgic. She remembered when she used to play here as a little girl with her cousins, making sandcastles and various shapes. But it was over now, and she had to accept it. She wasn't here for remembering the good old time, she was here to learn the truth.

As they headed for the Ushiromiya manor, two people suddenly approached them, looking surprised by their arrival.

"Ange-chan!?" George exclaimed. "Why are you back?"

"With Erika… she's not welcomed here!" Jessica said with disdain.

Ange froze for a moment. George and Jessica, her cousins. They looked exactly the same as the last time she saw them, they didn't age at all. After all, ghosts don't age, they were nothing more than illusions. Realizing that, Ange clenched her fist in anger, mad that the witch was using them to deceive her.

"Have no mercy, my comrade Ange-san. Reminds to those illusions the truth," Erika told her.

"What are you talking about… Ange-chan? Those clothes… Are you really Ange-chan?" George asked, starting to be worried.

With no more hesitation, Ange raised her hand and blue light appeared in it.

"_Ushiromiya George and Ushiromiya Jessica died during the Rokkenjima Massacre!_" Ange declared.

A blue wedge appeared in her hand and she swung it, cutting in half both George and Jessica. Their corpses fell on the ground, in two pieces, their guts and organs spreading on the group and blood spilling in the sand. Ange felt horrified by what she had just done and started to shiver, while Erika put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't kill them, you just reminded them that they were already dead," Erika said softly.

Ange took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't kill anyone, they were already dead. As if it confirmed it, George and Jessica's corpse fade away.

"Now let's not lose any more time and let's meet the Territory Lord," Erika said.

Ange nodded and they both continued their way to the manor, Ange determined to get the truth out of the witch who was toying with her family for far too long.

* * *

In the rose garden, Battler and Beatrice were enjoying a game of chess while drinking tea, with Virgilia and Ronove as spectators. The two spouses seemed to be equal, neither of them had the advantage on the other. With a cocky smile, Battler wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead and moved his queen to take out one of Beatrice's piece.

"Take that Beato!"

"Oh, you shouldn't have done that, Baaaattler~"

Battler's expression turned into despair when Beatrice took out his queen with her rook.

"You're 1000 years too young to defeat me, Battler! HAHAHAHAHA!" Beatrice exclaimed as she cackled madly.

"The game isn't over, I can still win!" Battler declared, not loosing up hope.

"You really are living up to your name, don't you. Very well, but I'll still crush you!"

"Don't talk too fast-"

Battler stopped when he noticed Beatrice's expression of shock.

"Beato, what's wrong?"

"Two of my pieces… had been killed," Beatrice said.

"What?!"

Now that she mentioned it, Battler could feel it too. As Territory Lord and Endless Sorcerer, he was as much linked to the pieces as Beatrice.

"It's… Jessica and George," Beatrice said.

"Someone intruded the Golden Land! Let's go!" Battler exclaimed as he rosed up.

Beatrice nodded and rose up too, both of them ready to face anyone who dared to intrude on their Golden Land and hurt their friends.

* * *

Ange stepped inside the rose garden. She remembered the last time she saw it, when she was only 5 years old. She had always been amazed by the variety of roses of all colours, it felt like it was coming straight from a fairy tale. But this garden was different. Goodbye all the colours, all the roses were now golden. An unnatural colour, a reminder that this place was nothing more than illusion. It was a travesty, an insult to what her family built, a mockery from the witch.

"Comrade Ange-san, are you okay?" Erika asked.

"Yeah, I'm just… disgusted. Let's just find the Territory Lord and put an end to this tasteless joke."

Erika simply smiled at that statement and they continued their way in the rose garden, until their path got blocked by two individuals.

"Ange-sama, what is the meaning of this? Why come here with Erika," Shannon asked, defensive.

"Did you… did you really kill Jessica!?" Kanon shouted, barely keeping his composure.

Ange recognized them, they were part of the servants. It was the first time Ange saw them together, for an unknown reason she had until now always saw them separately.

"Well look at that, Kinzo's own personal furnitures to welcome us, what an honour," Erika mocked sarcastically.

"We are not furnitures anymore! We're humans!" Shannon replied.

"See? A place of illusions where even furnitures think they are humans," Erika said with a smile full of disdain. "You're both nothing more than Beatrice's imaginary friends. Out of our way now, we have to speak with your master!"

Shannon and Kanon took an offensive posture, showing their intent to fight. Erika grinned madly as she conjured a scythe, ready to fight too.

"Stop! There's no need to fight, we'll take care of this."

Ange froze when she heard that voice. It had been 12 years since she hadn't heard it, but she still recognized it.

"Onii...chan…" Ange mumbled.

Battler was standing in front of them, looking stern and serious, with a blonde woman wearing a fancy dress next to him who looked equally severe who she recognized at the woman from the portrait, Beatrice. This Battler looked just like her late brother, even wearing the same clothes as the last time she saw him. Well, not exactly. He was now wearing a black cape. Could he be… a witch too? This thought filled Ange with anger.

"Onii-chan… you became like her… like the witch who stole you away from me, don't you!?"

"Ange, what are you talking about? Why are you back? Especially with this outfit?" Battler asked, confused.

Ange remained equally confused. What he was talking about? It was the first time she ever came here.

"I understand… she's an Ange from another fragment, if I had to take a guess from the one where she would have chosen trick as the answer to my final riddle," Beatrice said. "She's basically Trick Ange."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm Ushiromiya Ange and no one else! I'm here to learn the truth about the Rokkenjima Massacre and destroy the illusion of the witch!"

Battler and Beatrice looked uneased by this statement as they glanced at each other.

"Looks like we're going to go through that again," Beatrice complained.

"Erika… this is your doing, right? Is Bernkastel behind this again?" Battler asked with hostility.

"My master has nothing to do with this, I'm Ange-san's witch guardian. And everything is according to Ange-san's desire, I'm simply helping her," Erika replied with a disgustingly sweet smile.

"You… fine. What do you want?" Battler said.

"We just want to play a game with you. I'll even let you be the game master, but I'll choose the gameboard," Erika said as she threw him a kakera.

Battler caught the fragment and looked at it with Beatrice. Their expressions widen in shock when they saw what happened in this kakera.

"This world, this is…" Battler began to say.

"Almost," Beatrice added.

"I would have gladly showed Ange-san, but, being part of this catbox, only the Territory Lord can show her. Feel free to add all the illusions and 'magic' you want, we'll just crush it regardless and expose the truth," Erika taunted.

Both Battler and Beatrice looked uncertain and hesitating. Ange wasn't sure she understood what this game would be about, but she guessed that the Red and Blue Truths would be relevant. She would probably have to face their Red Truth with her Blue Truth in some kind of twisted game. And she was ready to face anything in order to expose the truth.

"Fine, we accept your challenge. We'll use this kakera as our gameboard. Just let us time to prepare the next game," Battler finally agreed.

* * *

"I swear honey, I didn't cheat on you!" I love-"

The man wasn't allowed to finish his sentence, he was violently slapped in the face by his wife (and future ex-wife), who was red with anger.

"She showed me everything!" the woman shouted. "The detective showed me the pictures, you slept with all those sluts! You bastard, I hate you, you're nothing more than a pig!"

The man suddenly turned towards Erika, who was simply standing there, smiling, and he glared at her furiously.

"You… this is all your fault, you bitch!" the man shouted.

But before he could do anything, his wife slapped him again, heavily crying, while the man fell to his knees, sobbing pathetically.

"I'm so sorry honey, I'm so sorry," he mumbled between his sobs.

Ange was witnessing this scene. With Erika, they managed to get pictures of the husband's infidelity and went to his house to show his wife. Erika was watching the scene with a smile full of satisfaction, there was even lust in her eyes. She was clearly enjoying what she was seeing. Ange did feel some satisfaction to see the husband so destroyed, she considered that he deserved it for being a cheater, but she knew her feelings and Erika's were different. Erika was an intellectual rapist, she wasn't exposing the truth for the sake of justice or to help, but simply to prove she was smarter and hurt others. She would do the same to even an innocent person.

But despite that, Ange couldn't hate her. She felt like Erika herself had been hurt and that it was why she was so cruel to others, as a way to cope with her own misery.

"Ange-san, let's go, there's nothing else to do," Erika said as she walked away, the husband and wife still crying and arguing.

They exited the house and headed for Erika's car. Ange had something she wanted to say, but wasn't sure if she should say it. She took a deep breath and decide to take the risk.

"Erika… is it me or this case… seemed personal to you?"

Erika froze for a moment, stoic, before she smiled softly.

"We could say that. I can personally relate to that woman's pain," Erika replied.

"So… you were just enjoying the man's suffering, right?"

Erika remained quiet for a moment until her smile turned into a grin.

"Both of them are guilty, they both had it coming. The husband for being dishonest, the wife for being naive enough to think he loved her. I have no sympathy for either of those morons, all I cared was exposing the truth and get money out of it."

Erika then suddenly stopped smiling and turned serious as they reached the car.

"I'll never… be like that woman ever again," Erika mumbled.

Ange could hear the bitterness in Erika's voice, but didn't insist. They both get in the car and Erika was back to smiling, this time in a mischievous way.

"Now that this is done, we can finally start the real fun," Erika declared.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Erika let out a giggled before continuing.

"Isn't it obvious? Exactly what you were waiting for for 12 years! We're going to investigate the Rokkenjima Massacre!"

* * *

**And the game will start next chapter! What do you think is the fragment Erika chose? Let me know what you think!**


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